


The Pale Truth

by TheStorytellerIsBack



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Grimm is a flirty bastard, Hive Queen Vespa helped raise Hornet, Lurien is the mayor of the City of Tears, M/M, Multi, Not all moths are bad, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, The Mantis Lords are awesome, The Pale King is a bad parent with good intentions, The Pale King is in a relationship with everyone, The Radiance isn’t a decent person, The Traitor Lord’s kinda rude ngl, Theres gonna be lots of angst later sorry bois, Xero is the head of the Royal Guard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29792061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStorytellerIsBack/pseuds/TheStorytellerIsBack
Summary: A bustling, beautiful kingdom, ravaged by disease and revenge.But what would happen if the Infection never made its way across the kingdom?What would happen if the Radiance and the Pale King actually... got along?Almost anything can happen in Hallownest, but even this isn't possible... is it?
Relationships: Grimm/The Pale King (Hollow Knight), Herrah the Beast/The Pale King (Hollow Knight), Hive Knight/Hive Queen Vespa (Hollow Knight), Isma/Ogrim | Dung Defender, Lurien the Watcher/The Pale King (Hollow Knight), Markoth/Xero (Hollow Knight), The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight), Traitor Lord's Daughter/Ze'mer | Grey Mourner
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. The Fall of a King

No cost too great.  
No cost too great.  
No cost too great.  
The king mentally chanted his mantra, each time doubting himself more.  
He was a royal figure, showing no signs of regret. He would have to live with what he did. Show no remorse.  
He listened to the metallic whirring of buzz saws outside of his throne room. They always calmed him, comforted him, told him “you’re safe, don’t worry”. And he was always thankful for that. But now…  
Now he wished they would stop spinning.  
They reminded him of something… something he couldn’t have. A family. A child.  
The king frowned as a shrill voice accompanied by footsteps forcibly knocked him out of his thoughts. He had asked not to be disturbed.  
He steepled his long, white fingers, both elbows resting on the arms of his throne, and leaned forwards, preparing to fix whoever came through the door in front of him with a disapproving, steely gaze. And so he did.  
The royal advisor burst into the room, panting. Her mask was cracked- well, more cracked than usual, and her glasses were askew.  
“My king,” she gasped, “my king, the Infected creatures- they’re attacking!”  
He frowned, troubled by this. He had seen them attacking in his dreams, but didn’t figure that it would be on this day.  
“So soon?” The Royal murmured, bringing his thoughts to life.  
“Yes sire, they’re at the gates of the palace,” the advisor squeaked.  
He lowered his gaze to the floor, thinking. “The saws will buy us some time. Now, we must get the Moulds ready for battle. Tell the Captain to send them to their posts… I’ll defend the city as well, so notify them that they have one more. And tell my…”  
He hesitated, reminding himself that his child couldn’t be called, nor fight beside him. “And assist the Captain with setting up the defenses,” he quickly recovered, “he might not remember the access code.”  
The advisor bowed. “Right away, my liege,” she said, and scurried out of the room.  
He turned his head and looked over his shoulder, staring at his dearest treasure. Half of a small, white charm was embedded into the back of his chair. The other half was with his wife, in the Queen’s Gardens. He would die to keep it safe, for not only was it an object of sentimental value, but a tool to save all of Hallownest in case the Infection couldn’t be stopped by his child.  
The king’s gaze hardened, and he stood from his throne, picking up his nail from where it was sitting next to him, for situations just like this one. He unclasped his cloak and let it slip off of his shoulders, unfurling his iridescent, transparent wings.  
His armor glinted in the light, bearing the King’s Crest on his chestplate.  
Planting his long nail into the ground, he rested both hands on its hilt, and waited, staring at the entrance to the throne room. It was him they wanted, and he knew it. They didn’t want the charm, but that’s where they went wrong, for it was the only thing that could destroy them.  
And he would protect it until his final breath.  
Sounds outside of his door, footsteps marching in time, told him that the Moulds were here. But they weren’t here to protect him. They had been infected.  
He had seen all of this in his dream, and he knew how it all ended. It was for the good of Hallownest.  
The army of Moulds broke the door down, knocking the finely carved wood to the ground. They marched into the room, and instead of staring at their numbers with dismay, the king looked upon them with dignity, ready to face them.  
He readied his nail, analyzing the sea of creatures before him.  
Let the battle begin.  
The Moulds all struck at once, throwing their spiked weapons at him. He propelled himself into the air, wings flapping. While they had no weapons, he flew back and forth, striking them with his nail.  
The moment their weapons returned to them, they unfroze from their previously statue-like state, and attacked again.  
The two sides moved to their chaotic dance, attacking, defending, and dodging in rhythm.  
Many of the Moulds fell before the Royal’s blade, his skill superior to theirs. He was winning.  
Just when he thought he was safe, however, a Mould struck his nail, the impact so great that it shattered the entire weapon.  
The king, now defenseless, flew above the Moulds, attempting to dodge their attacks. He had no way of deflecting their weapons, and relied on pure adrenaline and speed at this point.  
One of the Moulds’ attacks caught him in the wing, and he fell to the ground, wincing in pain.  
The Moulds surrounded the Royal, closing in on him. He feared that this would be the end. Until he remembered that he had one last tool.  
A last stand.  
He took a small glass vial from within a piece of his armor and crushed it against his hand. Black tendrils raced up his arms, almost as if they were alive. The substance covered every part of him, turning him into a six-eyed, six-armed monster made of pure hatred and nightmares.  
He roared a battle cry, grasping the pieces of his nail in one hand. The other five seemed to make nails of their own, ready to fight.  
The monster fought like a whirlwind, jabbing at the Moulds’ orange, Infected eyes.  
Within a minute, they were all dead, and the monster was the last one standing. The black substance, now known as Void, dripped off of the king, leaving him alone in the throne room, surrounded by the corpses of his own guards.  
He felt his insides being hollowed out, the Void taking its toll. With a grunt, he staggered to his throne, collapsing into it. Scattering the broken pieces of his nail, the king pried the charm out of his throne and clutched it tightly.  
Gazing down upon it, he realized that this was not going to be his legacy. He wasn’t going to be the king who protected everyone from the Infection. He wasn’t going to be the king who fought off his own soldiers to keep the kingdom’s only salvation safe.  
He was going to be remembered as the king who created many, many vessels, then sentenced them to the worst fate possible. He was going to be the king who left his own child to die at the hands of the Radiance.  
History wouldn’t get it right. He would be feared. He would be hated. Nobody would know of what happened here today.  
But as he drew his last breath, shuddering at the effort of fighting back the Void enough to think, he thought of the savior of this world. He thought of the Hollow Knight. He thought of his child.  
He was proud of his child.  
And then the Pale King was no more as the royal advisor gave her life to activate the defense protocols, triggering the White Palace’s self-destruct with a devastating explosion that nobody would ever remember.  
The King was lost.  
The King’s intentions were lost.  
And as he foresaw, all he left behind was a legacy of fear, anger, and betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fanfic! I hope you enjoy it!  
> My writing style is pretty crap rn, but thanks for reading anyway :3


	2. Unexpected Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone new visits the palace.

“Finnian. Finnian!”  
A child, about the age of fifteen, was shoved off of a bed. He groaned and opened his black eyes, standing up.  
Finnian Blake was a pale child- so pale and odd, in fact, that he didn’t look human. Which was good, because he wasn’t a human.  
He was a Wyrm. A Higher Being, if you will, granted with the powers of foresight and reincarnation. His family, which was a noble one, often pressured him to live up to their standards, which he constantly fell short of no matter how hard he tried.  
One of their goals was to finally get him to wake up early. Though he didn’t mean to fail all of their other expectations, this one he deliberately ignored.  
And that is how he ended up on the floor. His mother had pushed him off of the bed. Finnian- or, Finn, as he liked to be called at the time, rubbed his eyes with his white, segmented hands, then glanced up at his mother. She was staring at him with a condescending glare, per usual.  
“I expect you to be downstairs in ten minutes. Make yourself presentable. We have guests,” she hissed, then made her way out of his room, closing the door behind her.  
Finn sighed and surveyed his room. Though he woke up in it every morning and went to sleep in the same room every evening, it always changed during the night. Today, his bed was covered in dark gray sheets, matching the weather outside. The clouds were the same color gray, as seen through the window next to his bed. His closet was on the far side of the room this time, next to his mirror, which was made out of a light gray driftwood. The dresser and cabinets were against another wall, made of the same driftwood, and opposite them were the bookshelves Finn adored.  
The carpet was a dark gray, almost black color, and the walls were a light gray, almost white.  
Finn stumbled over to the mirror blearily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He observed how horrid he looked today; his skin tone was ashen instead of snow white.  
Standing at a meager height of four feet and nine inches, the prince was smaller than the average bug. He had been told that this was his maximum height, which he was delighted to find out about. He liked being short, as he was able to fit in places the rest of his family wasn’t.  
His mother, on the other hand, seemingly was going to explode. She asked how he was supposed to rule a kingdom at such a short height, and complained about how it was disgraceful.  
But Finn didn’t mind. He was happy with the way he looked. His pure black eyes stared back at him from the reflective surface as he reached up to tap the points on his head. Almost like a crown, eight horns protruded from the top of his head in a circle. He brought his hand back down, fluttering his small wings.  
Finn heard speaking from downstairs and figured it was time to get himself ready. He briefly wondered about the guests his mother mentioned, but quickly pushed that thought out of his mind, as he would meet them soon enough. He put on some shimmering white robes and draped a necklace over his head. It bore the symbol of the kingdom- the royal crest.  
Finn folded his wings and hid them underneath his robes, as he was uncomfortable with them being seen. He didn’t know why, but they were the only part of him that he was self-conscious about.  
He opened the gray driftwood door to his room once he made sure he looked presentable, and strode out into a wide hallway. To the right were his parents’ rooms and the three guest rooms they had, in case any guests wanted to… stay.  
Finn was very against guests wanting to stay. He didn’t like how they invaded his personal space when he was reading, or always asked what he was going to do for the kingdom. He especially hated when they stayed for more than a few days. Some of them were just insufferable.  
To the left was a staircase, leading down to the first floor.  
The prince put one of his claw-like hands on the white, stone guard rail and followed it down with his gaze. At the bottom of the stairs stood his mother and father. They were both talking to someone that he couldn’t see.  
King Rian and Queen Juno had been married for longer than Finn was alive, but for as long as he could remember, they hated each other. Of course, they did it silently, so only one with a trained eye could see it. The way they gave each other fake smiles, the way they slept in different bedrooms… it made him question how long it would take before his family completely broke apart.  
King Rian was a tall ruler, dwarfing Finn at a height of seven feet tall. He shared almost no characteristics with his son, having a dark gray skin tone with white eyes. The only thing they had in common were the horns on top of each of their heads and the iridescent wings. Finn liked to think that his father was the complete opposite of him in many ways, from their appearances to their personalities. King Rian was very temperamental at times, and could be violent, especially in the royal court. This made him a difficult king to deal with.  
Queen Juno, on the other hand, was calm. And this was her scariest trait. The only way to tell she was upset were minuscule details that were almost completely invisible. She was a mirror image of her son, except instead of having horns and insect-like wings, she had antennae and colorful butterfly wings. She kept her expression neutral at all times in public, not letting anything rattle her, but when she was alone with her family, her eyes hardened and she would make a frown that told Finn that she was disappointed with everything he did.  
Finn made his way down the stairs, taking them one at a time to make sure he didn’t trip over his robes. He figured they should really change the way that these were made, as he stumbled over them at least seven times a day. As he got to the bottom of the steps, he gazed at the new guests.  
They were like nothing he had ever seen. They were… moths. That was unusual. The Moth Tribe rulers had never visited them. There was an adult moth, the ruler, Finn assumed, and a younger one, about his age. The ruler's daughter. They were identical, with tan bodies and wings that were colored in varying shades of brown. Their eyes glowed golden within the black mask that their- fur? Feathers? Finn didn’t know- formed around them.  
King Rian glanced over at the prince, having not noticed him before.  
“This is Prince Finnian,” he said, “my son.”  
Finn dipped his head to the Royal Moths in a sign of respect. The Moths did the same.  
“I am Ruler Hendrix,” the adult moth said clearly. “And this is my daughter, princess Alina Radiance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m putting all of the written chapters up here for now so I don’t forget, but I’ll add more as I write them.


	3. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Alina go to the library and meet a certain root.

Ruler Hendrix, King Rian, and Queen Juno had gone off to discuss their royal business, leaving Finn and princess Alina together.   
Finn had a feeling that the moths were going to stay for more than a couple of days, so he figured he might as well learn about princess Alina. He didn’t want to be in the castle for an extended period of time with people he didn’t know.   
The princess stared at him with her warm golden eyes. He felt as if she were staring into his very soul- and it felt uncomfortable. So he averted his eyes, staring at her head instead. She had horns in a similar shape and size to his, but there were only three. She seemed to be doing the exact same thing he was, counting the horns on his head.   
Finn fiddled with his hands, anxious. He was about to speak when the princess abruptly said, “you’re quite small, aren’t you?”  
He nodded.   
“Your parents don’t like it, do they?”  
Finn was taken aback by this. That question was spot-on. He stuttered a reply. “Well… er… no, they don’t. My mom, uhm… basically threw a fit when she found out.”  
The princess snickered. Finn thought that she was rather different than he expected; a social butterfly instead of an introvert like himself. He figured that conversing with her would be either slightly pleasurable, or downright nerve-wracking. He hoped it was the former.   
“Princess,” he started, only to be cut off by his winged guest.   
“Call me Alina,” she cooed. “Only my enemies call me ‘princess’ or ‘Radience’.”  
Enemies? What kind of enemies would she have? He was only a teenager, and she appeared to be the same. Finn was thoroughly confused.   
Since they were throwing away formalities, he asked her to call him by his nickname instead of ‘Finnian’, to which she replied, “yes, that is quite a long name,” and smirked at him.  
“So, what do you do around here?” Alina asked, glancing around at the entrance hall. It was quite wide and lavishly decorated, but wasn’t a place to have any sort of fun.   
“Do around here…?” The prince responded, a slight questioning tone to his voice.   
“Yes, for fun. Don’t tell me you don’t know what fun is.” Alina fluttered her wings.  
“Oh, I know what fun is. I normally spend my time at the library,” Finn clasped his hands together.   
“The library? But that’s so boring.” The moth drew out that last word, as if to really exaggerate her point.  
Finn frowned, disliking her attitude. “The library is not boring. It’s more exciting than a lot of things.”  
“Mhm, like watching grass grow or paint dry.” Alina raised an eyebrow, watching Finn to see how he would react.   
He cleared his throat, giving him time to think of a response. “Yes, it’s a lot more interesting than that. And it’s much more interesting than going to the Colosseum as well.”  
Alina chuckled. “More exciting than the Colosseum? This I have to see.”  
Finn crossed his arms, completely giving up on regaining his poise. “Fine, then. Follow me.”  
Not even making sure that Alina was in tow, he strode over to the entranceway of the castle and threw open the doors. Two guards that were posted on either side weren’t startled in the slightest- they were probably used to this behavior by now.   
Only when they looked below them and saw the prince did they seem confused, faces twisting beneath their masks. They looked even more troubled when he commanded them in a stern voice to stay where they were and not follow him and his guest.   
This behavior was quite unlike the prince, as he looked like he was on a mission. He normally shuffled about as if he had no purpose, keeping his arms tucked close to himself. But now, he was standing up tall, wings fluttering behind him. They had escaped their confinement and draped behind him like a shimmering, iridescent cloak.   
As Finn walked along the vast streets of the city, Alina caught up to him. She seemed to dislike not having time to fully be aware of her surroundings.   
“Why’re you walking so fast?” She complained, tripping over her golden robes.   
The prince gave no answer, but made a beeline for the tram car. He slipped inside, weaving among the civilians to sit down on a seat. The people took almost no notice of him- he came this route every time he went to the library. They seemed more amazed by his dazzling companion, who sat down next to him, huffing.   
“You should really slow down when you walk. Some of us aren’t as fast as others,” she panted, squirming on the iron bench.   
The prince snorted and murmured about how she should be able to walk faster than him.   
Alina gave him a queer look and he explained his history of sicknesses, which eventually led to breathing troubles. He also told her about his parents’ reluctance to let him go anywhere stressful, so that’s why they only let him go to the library.   
The tram car’s doors closed, and the contraption jolted, starting to move. Unfortunately, this sudden movement caused Alina to lean onto Finn. He blinked rapidly as she straightened up. As she muttered apologies, he shook his head.   
“Happens to everyone. Do you not have trolleys in your kingdom?”  
Alina looked off to the side. “We fly everywhere. Our technology isn’t really the best.”  
“Oh,” was all Finn said, as he turned and watched the scenery flash by outside the window.  
The two said nothing else to each other the rest of the ride to the library, with the only other sounds being the murmuring of the other passengers and the click-clack of the tires on the rails.   
Eventually- which seemed like too long of a wait for Finnian (he hated awkward situations)- the tram screeched to a halt.   
The passengers started to exit, and so did the prince. This time, he made sure Alina was right behind him, glancing back every few seconds.   
Finn advanced forward, but stopped at a bench when he saw that Alina had paused and was staring in front of them in awe. He sat down on the warm iron, waiting for her and not wanting to admit that even though he’d been going to the library for years, the sight still amazed him.   
A wide road, decorated with flowers and whimsical plants of all kinds, led to a single entrance point. The arch was enormous, carvings running up and down its sides. It was made of a light gray, inflammable stone that was polished to shine in the sunlight. The same plants lining the street grew atop the arch, neatly trimmed to create an elegant and quiet atmosphere.   
Beyond the archway, a large building stood, glinting in the light. It was like a maze, sprawling out everywhere. Even now, a new couple of rooms were being added. This library was the core of all known information, having the history of all of the tribes and other kingdoms. If a bug needed a place to find some information, this was the place to go.   
The floor area of the building would have to be more than a thousand miles, the prince would guess, and that wasn’t even counting how tall the inside was. The floor-to-ceiling height of the building must’ve been at least three miles in some rooms.   
The prince admired the architecture of the library. If he ever was the ruler of some far-off kingdom, he would definitely make his library just like this.   
Alina continued her staring, obviously dumbfounded. He snickered quietly.   
“So now you like the library? I thought you said it was boring.”  
“I never imagined it was like this… it’s huge! You must keep a lot of information in there,” Alina said, wide-eyed.   
Finn nodded. “We even have information on the Moth Tribe. Now, let’s go. Sylvia won’t wait forever.” He stood up, brushing himself off.   
“Sylvia?” Alina tilted her head.   
He felt his face heat up, and he turned away from Alina. “She’s… my friend.”  
No, she isn’t, he said to himself. But there was no way he would confess to her. He didn’t do well with people. He could never tell Sylvia that he loved her. Besides, she wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with a nervous person like him, anyway. And queenly duties? Who would want those?  
Finn chuckled anxiously to himself, ignoring Alina’s questioning gaze.   
“She’s waiting for us?” She tilted her head.   
“Yes. She is.”  
Alina moved over to Finn, and together, the two of them walked into the library. They entered through the archway, and Alina stopped for a second time.   
The room they had entered into was circular and large. Bookshelves were organized like a maze, pathways crossing over. The walls were also filled with books, only reachable by flight or the tall, movable ladders made of smooth dark wood. In front of the bookshelves, a large desk stood, with multiple bugs behind the counter. One of them had strange white horns jutting from her head that looked like tree branches. Her eyes were a light blue, and she wore gray robes to contrast her white skin. She waved Finn and Alina over.   
“Hello, Sylvia,” Finn nodded to her. He made sure to never show any emotion towards her, otherwise he might just turn into a flustered mess, and that would be inexcusable for the prince.   
Sylvia gave him a little wave. “Hey there, Finnian. Who’s your guest?” Her voice was melodious, though soft.   
“This is Princess Alina from the Moth Tribe,” Finnian looked over at the bug in question, who was gazing at Sylvia with an unreadable expression.   
Sylvia curtsied to Alina. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, princess.”  
She straightened up and presented a map to Finnian, as well as a circular pendant the size of an acorn. He took them gratefully and gave the pendant to Alina, who gazed at it curiously.   
The prince unfolded the map and showed it to Alina, revealing the library’s floor plan. Every section was labeled, and there was a small blue dot near the ’Entrance Desk’. That was the only dot on there, and Finn figured that the map had been specifically connected to the charm, so there wouldn’t be a mixup with multiple dots on the parchment.   
Finn hid his wings back under his robes, as he was now self-conscious— he noticed several bugs staring. Before, he didn’t mind, but now he felt uncomfortable and was anxious to get lost in the bookshelves of the library, where he wouldn’t have to receive these stares.   
“Have fun, young prince and princess,” Sylvia murmured as she started stacking papers on her desk.   
“You’re not going to come with us?” Finn asked, surprised.   
“Unfortunately, no. I have work to do.” She paused to give him a shy smile, then returned to her paper stacking.   
“I’ll… talk to you later, then?”  
Sylvia nodded, not giving any other response. The prince looked over at his guest.   
Alina was still inspecting the charm. Finn was certain that she hadn’t been paying any attention to their conversation.   
He tapped her wing and she glanced up at him. “Can we go see what you have on the history of the Moth Tribe?”  
Finn nodded. “I have no problem with that. Make sure you hold on tight to the charm. If you lose it, we’re going to get lost.”  
Alina wrapped her hand around it in affirmation. “Which way are we going?”  
“To the history section, I presume,” Finn quietly chuckled, and stepped towards an entrance between two bookcases.  
The princess nodded, and together, the two headed off into the maze of wood and literature.


	4. The Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Alina wander the library, bumping into an old friend.

The duo traveled amongst the bookshelves. They chatted about a great many things; books, where the history section was, how the map was connected to the charm, where the history section was, how the charm was made, where the history section was...   
Finn had to explain to Alina a great many times that it was just up ahead, according to the map and charm. Alina scoffed and obviously didn't believe him, as she continued asking.   
She weaved in and out of the bookshelves, despite Finn's warnings that she might get lost. It really seemed like she didn't care. Or maybe she was acting aloof? Finn was too busy pondering his map to work it out. The history section should be right up ahead...   
Bugs wandered around them, not looking up. They didn't bow, nor make way for the prince and his royal visitor. That's what pleasured Finn about libraries: nobody cared who he was. To them, everyone here was a humble student surrounded by as much knowledge as they needed, no matter their age, race, religion, social status... Everyone here was respected.   
As Finn walked, he ran his hand along the books stored on the shelf. He felt every spine under his fingers, every bit of knowledge...   
Suddenly, he slammed into someone, nearly falling. She caught him before he was halfway to the ground, staring him right in the eyes.   
"Dryya?" The prince tilted his head as she set him back on his feet.   
Indeed, it was Dryya. The warrior-in-training stood proudly in front of him, posture relaxed. Her three horns twisted up elegantly, seeming to have grown since the last time they had seen each other.   
Dryya gaped, squinting her eyes with obvious confusion. "Finn? I almost didn't recognize you. You've grown since your grub years!"  
"Our grub years. We're the same age," the prince responded, nudging her softly.   
To Finn, Dryya was like the sister he had never had. Being an only child was lonely for him— especially with his parents gone half of the time— and friends were hard to make. So when a strange girl came up to him out of the blue while he was walking with his guards on the street and asked him if he wanted to play with her and her friends, of course he had said yes. Their small group had basically grown up together. Dryya was the leader, fierce and fiery. Then there was Hegemol, who was the mightiest— and biggest— of them all, despite being soft-spoken and surprisingly empathetic. Isma, the kindly 'mother' of the group, kept everyone together in the toughest of times. Ze'mer... was a mysterious one. She didn't speak a lick of Wyrmtongue and relied on Isma to translate for her. When she spoke, almost none of the words she uttered made sense to any of them. Finn often wondered where she came from, to know such a wildly different language. Ogrim was the most loyal and devoted of their little group, and it was rumored that he even had a romantic attraction to Isma! Scandalous, for sure. Last but not least, there was Finn. He had no battle training whatsoever, unlike the others, and was the smallest. They took him in anyway, which he was eternally grateful for.   
Everything had changed when Finn's parents had decided it was time to prep him for leadership. They had pulled him away from the group, away from his only friends. They all went to warrior's training, while he was stuck in the palace for all that time. Finn simply thought it was unfair and brooded in his room until his parents had told him to 'stop being so petty'. At that, Finn had decided to become even more petty and just not talk to them for a while.   
Of course, this silent treatment couldn't go on forever, so his parents did have their way eventually.   
Too caught up in his abrupt encounter with his old friend, Finn didn't realize that Alina was lurking behind the shelves at his back, waiting to pounce. When she did strike, it was very startling indeed. She walked up behind him and placed both of her hands on his shoulders, making him jump.   
"Who's this?" She cooed, tilting her head.  
Dryya was immediately suspicious, one hand drifting to the hilt of her nail, which was hanging at her waist.   
Finn stuttered for a few seconds before he could reply, caught off-guard. "This is Dryya. She was my grubhood friend."  
Dryya dipped her head in acknowledgment.   
"This is Princess Alina from the Moth Tribe," said Finn, worming out of the moth's grasp.   
The princess and the knight studied each other, both narrowing their eyes. Finn sucked in a breath. He didn't know how Sylvia would react if the two started to duel in the library, but he was sure it wouldn't be good.   
"Well... Alina and I were just looking for the history section. Do you know where that is?" Finn asked, in an attempt to break the tense air swirling around them.   
"Check your map," was the only response the prince got from the soldier, and he exhaled sharply.   
"Look, if you two are going to fight, please don't do it in the library. Do it where precious information can't be... sliced to bits by your angry glares."  
Both heads turned towards him at that bold remark, Alina raising a brow and Dryya looking slightly amused at his annoyance. That seemed to keep them from going at each other's throats, so he was fine with it.   
Dryya cleared her throat. "Well, I'd better get going. The group's waiting."  
"Tell them I said 'hello'?" Finn requested, desperate to get into contact with them.   
"Sure, Wyrmy." Dryya smirked, knowing how much he hated that nickname, and strode off.   
"...Wyrmy?" Alina asked, snickering.   
Finn slowly turned to look at the moth. "Don't you dare."

~•~

On the tram ride back home, Finn explained to Alina his relations to the group of knights. After sitting for several minutes in silence, she looked at him and asked, "you don't know how to fight?"  
Finn opened his mouth, then closed it again, trying to form words to match his thinking.   
"After all of that," he started, rubbing his brow with a hand, "all you reacted to was that I don't know how to stab people?"  
"Yes." At least she answered truthfully.   
"My parents never let me learn. I'm small, clumsy, and... less than ideal for a warrior. That's what they always told me, at least."  
Alina let out a loud bark of laughter. "I'll teach you, then. You're coming with me tomorrow to the colosseum."  
Finn went pale. Well, paler. "The colosseum?"  
The moth nodded. "You need to learn some basic skills. Otherwise you'll be dead meat."  
"Dead meat? Who'd attack me?" Finn glanced around.   
"You'd be surprised. You're the son of a king. There's plenty you could be used for, like ransome or a bargaining chip, or-"  
"Okay, okay. I get it. I'll have to ask my mother, though. She won't react well to this idea," said Finn with a sigh.   
The tram ground to a halt and the doors opened. The passengers began to flood out, along with two royal figures. They walked the rest of the way back to the palace in silence. The guards opened the doors for them, ushering them into the lavishly decorated entrance hall.   
Queen Juno and Ruler Hendrix were standing at the base of the stairs, conversing. Finn figured his father had to take care of kingly duties elsewhere. Thank stars.   
The two rulers halted their conversation once they saw the children and inclined their heads.  
"Princess. Finnian." Queen Juno murmured.   
"Mother, I was wondering if I could travel to the colosseum with Alin- er, Princess Radiance to learn how to fight?" Finn tried his best to sound polite and thoughtful, clasping his hands together.   
Queen Juno looked like she had just swallowed a barrel full of bees. "Fight?" She repeated.   
The princess fluttered her wings. "I can teach him some tricks. Just in case."   
Finn nodded. "I don't want to be used as a ransom, nor a bargaining chip." He used the exact words Alina had.   
The queen shook her head, antennae twitching. "No."  
"What? Why?" The prince was confused.   
"Because you have your guards. You don't need to learn how to fight," said the butterfly.   
"Guards? They won't be around forever," Finn growled.   
"Then you hire new ones." The irritation was clear in the queen's voice.   
"I can't just be defenseless my whole life!"  
"You can, and you will." Queen Juno growled, her voice deadly quiet. "Now stop embarrassing our family and show the Princess to her room."   
Finn curled his hands into fists and whipped around, fleeing up the staircase. He took the steps two at a time, trying to ignore the stinging in his eyes and his pulse pounding in his ears. He hated being shouted at, especially by his mother. Especially in front of guests. Especially in front of friends. That's all he could think about. He hated Queen Juno.   
Finn opened the door to his chambers and slammed it shut behind him once he was inside. Fine. If she wouldn't let him fight, then he'd learn on his own.   
A soft knock on the door startled him out of his vengeful thoughts. "What?" He snapped, not in the mood to talk.   
"It's me," said a voice from the other side. He immediately recognized it as Alina, and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robes.  
"Your room is the one next to mine, if that's what you're wondering," he muttered, loud enough for her to hear him through the wooden door.   
"I was wondering, actually, but I'm here to check on you." Alina opened the door, carefully closing it behind her. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was nothing like her grip at the library; this time it was warm. This time it was accepting. "We can still go to the colosseum tomorrow."  
"I think it's quite obvious what her reaction was," Finn said flatly.   
"No, I mean... under the radar," said the moth, whispering that last part as if she said it any louder, the room would erupt in flames.   
Finn just looked confused.   
Alina sighed, obviously realizing that bluntness would be the only thing that would work in this situation. "We could say we're going to the library and head to the colosseum anyway."  
"You'd have me lie to them?" Finn blinked rapidly.   
Alina nodded without hesitation.   
The prince let out a breath, cooling down. "I don't think this is a good idea."  
"But you said it yourself," the moth chirped, "you can't be defenseless forever."  
She had him there. He fiddled with his hands. "I'll think about it. Sleep on it."  
"Sounds good to me. If you decide yes, meet me at the dining hall at sunrise."  
"Sunrise?" Finn blanched. "No way. They'll know something's up. I sleep in."  
"Fine, then," said Alina. "Nine in the morning. Don't be late." With that, she turned and whisked out of the room.   
"Nine in the morning," Finn repeated to himself. "That's still too early."


	5. Dreamnailed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain dream makes its way to Finn...

The king wiped his hands on his silvery robe, gazing at the black liquid in front of him. His hands were shaking and his breathing was quick, uneven. He could feel a presence lingering in his mind— something warm. Something bright. It was trying to convince him to give up the control he had over his body.  
He shook his head, denying it for the upteenth time and returning to his work. The Void was ready to be inserted into the Vessel.  
The king would ask his queen for help, but he knew she would rather not dirty her hands with his… experiments, as she had called them. In addition, he figured she would be too emotional for the work. And if she knew what was going on inside his head, she would stay far away from him.  
He started to slowly pour the Void into the hollow shell. This one had two forked horns reaching from its head like snake tongues.  
He tried to stay focused, but it was easy to see that the king was quite unwell. He wanted to keep that to himself, though. He shouldn’t worry his queen nor his knights about the beating sickness in his mind. He would fight it off and that would be that. And then he’d get his revenge.  
Just then, his hands, which had been nearly still this entire time due to sheer will, trembled violently, and Void splashed out of the Vessel and onto his hand. It sizzled, burning him, and he jerked back with a yelp of pain. He shook his hand wildly in a futile attempt to get the liquid off, but it clung onto him. The pain clouded his mind, blocking out even the sickness. He could sense the Void’s intentions. It wanted to erase his mind. It wanted to take his will. It wanted to destroy his voice. He fought back the urge to whimper as it burned through his hand.  
The king gasped for air, his breathing heavy. He grasped onto his injured hand, curling his fingers around it gently. He stayed in that position for a long while, sinking down to the floor. He tried to collect his thoughts before he lost them, work forgotten.  
After the agony had somewhat subsided, he decided to inspect the injury. Removing his other hand, he saw a black mark on his palm with no discernible shape. Flipping it over and looking at the dorsal side revealed the same exact marking. His breathing calmed as he realized that was the only consequence of the Void, and he stood up unsteadily. Shuffling back over to his desk, he grabbed hold of a wad of bandages he had- for emergencies- and started wrapping them around his hand.  
His queen must not see this. His advisors must not see this. They would disapprove. And if they did, he’d have to take certain… precautions.  
After a brief resting period, the king returned to his project. He was much more careful, of course. He realized that the pain of the Void had combated the sickness inside of his head, and his hands were not as shaky. Maybe he could make a cure for the plague sweeping Hallownest… no. He had seen how things would turn out. He knew the cure wouldn’t work.  
He finished pouring the Void into the hollow shell made from his queen’s branches. He had been attempting to make sure that this combination wouldn’t give the Vessel any sapience. No thoughts. No will. No voice. No way for this plague to infect it. He hadn’t been successful so far.  
The Void sank into the shell, as he expected. The Vessel shot up into a sitting position, almost skewering the king with its horns. He backed away as best he could, giving the Vessel room to breathe. Is that all he was doing? Giving it room to breathe? Perhaps… he was frightened of it. He had just experienced the Void’s effects firsthand and wasn’t too keen on doing it again.  
The Vessel hadn’t moved. It was as stiff and still as a piece of stone. He crept across the room towards it. He quickly waved a hand in front of its face. Nothing. Not a blink. Not a flinch. No reaction whatsoever.  
The king released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and closed his eyes in relief. Why was he relieved? He wasn’t sure. He hopped up onto the table the Vessel was sitting on, resting for a moment. This Vessel was a failure, wasn’t it? He knew that if he reported another failure to his queen, she would give him that look he hated; that look of hopelessness mixed with disappointment. He didn’t want to see that expression on her beautiful pale face anymore, yet… he was alright with this?  
He opened his eyes, deciding to keep his confusion for later. He glanced back at the Vessel- oh. Oh no.  
The king leapt off of the table, almost falling when his legs wobbled. His eyes widened as he whipped around, trying to find the small creature. He smacked himself for letting the thing out of his sight.  
He tried to stay calm, doing what his parents had always told him and inspecting his surroundings before he panicked. The door- which was the only entrance to the room- was still closed, meaning the Vessel couldn’t have gotten out. He began peering under tables and on top of jars, molds and piles of scrap material. But after a while of searching, he realized something was missing.  
His nail.  
The king slammed his hand on the desk in frustration, immediately regretting the action when it started to throb. He would need to chase after that little... problem, without his nail. That could prove troublesome, considering he could barely walk without it.  
He spotted a small hole in the wall near the door that the Vessel probably made with his weapon, and unfurled his ruined wings.  
Opening the door, the king limped out of the room. He fluttered his six iridescent wings and nimbly leapt up into the air. Despite being battered and torn in places, they could still support his small, light frame.  
He clenched his uninjured fist and flew down the hallway. He was certain that the troublesome Vessel would be at the end of the hallway, as his laboratory was built so that only a bug with wings could access it. And he was pretty sure that the Vessel didn’t have wings.  
As the king proceeded closer to the end of the hallway, he glimpsed a dark figure alongside the shadow of the Vessel. They looked like they were… talking? Queer. Didn’t he specifically make the Vessel to have no voice? He didn’t want to hear its screams, after all.  
No, no. It seemed to be just nodding, not actually speaking to the figure. The king sighed, relieved, and landed on the ground, favoring his right leg. He limped towards them, ready to speak. The Vessel turned to face him, brandishing the king’s nail. He chuckled to himself, barely audible. It would be a fool to wield that nail.  
The shadow next to it turned to face the king, his cloak of darkness twisting around his thin legs. The first and only thing the king really noticed about him were his blood-red eyes. 

~•~

Finn woke, breathing heavily. Those eyes stared into his soul. They knew what he’d done.  
Wait. What had he done, exactly? He was a prince living in his kingdom. Why did he feel like someone else? Why did he feel like this… king?  
He lifted his hand from the covers and inspected the spot the Void- was it called Void? The memory of the dream was already fading- had fallen onto. There was nothing there. His hand was as it always had been. The same with his leg and wings. Untouched. Pristine. That unnerved him beyond belief.  
Not as much as those red eyes, though. That wasn’t natural.  
Finn balled his fists. It was just a dream.  
It didn’t matter in the long run. But he couldn’t help feeling like he knew this king. Like they were attached with the strings of fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fun to write! Things are getting spicy~


	6. The Colosseum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Alina go to the colosseum. There, they meet some strange bugs...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: There’s some mild domestic abuse mentioned early on.

Finn was tired. No, exhausted. He hadn’t gotten up too early, but then again, he did have that nightmare in the middle of the night. Maybe he should’ve negotiated with Alina for a later meeting time… 

He quickly dismissed that idea. If he had, he probably would’ve gotten increasingly frustrated and made a fool of himself. Well- more of a fool, anyway. 

As the royal quickly dressed himself, he noted that the colors of his room had changed to a darker tone overnight, almost as a warning. He brushed it off. Alina was just taking him to the Colosseum. It couldn’t be that bad if tons of bugs visited. He had heard about its glory from passing bugs outside of the palace (yes, he was eavesdropping) and felt a shiver of excitement at the thought of going to see it. Or perhaps it was disobeying his mother. He had never been a rebellious child before, so it was quite foreign to him. 

The prince exited the foreboding room, quietly closing the door behind him. With him, he brought the kingdom’s crest, as always, a notebook, for observing the fights, and flowers for the staff. He always brought them flowers. 

He slowly walked over to the stairs and descended, careful not to trip over his robes. The last thing he wanted was to show up at breakfast with a crack over his eye or- stars forbid- a chipped horn. Those could heal overtime, but it would be embarrassing for his guest to see him in such a state. 

Finn passed a staff member on the way down, and gave them a flower. They bowed to him, flushing, before sprinting up the stairs. He smiled and continued on his way. 

This happened a few more times, Finn greeting many by name and offering flowers. They all thanked him, and one older bug even called him a ‘kind young bug’. 

Eventually reaching the door to the dining room, Finn took a deep breath. He slowly turned the few flowers left in his hands, staring into the pale blossoms. They were so fragile… they could be crushed in an instant. Destroyed with one flick of the wrist. Scattered into dust with such  _ ease _ . 

Finn found himself alarmed by these thoughts. He shouldn’t be thinking of such things. It was cruel. And unusual. And not like the prince at all. He realized he was gripping the flowers tightly, strangling them, and released them, watching them fall gently to the floor.

Finn picked the delicate blooms back up after a moment of staring. He had snapped back to reality after he noticed a haze clouding his vision, orange and dizzying. Although his gaze was clear now, he figured it couldn’t be good to see orange. He made a mental note to research that at the library tomorrow. He hoped he hadn’t contracted another illness. 

Finn pushed open the doors of the dining hall. He immediately saw that the room was alight with activity. The staff were rushing around like ants in a hill, speaking loudly to each other. Amidst the chaos, one almost bumped into him, stopping to mutter a hurried apology and for a quick bow before scuttling away. Finn blinked, and she was gone. 

He noticed Alina at a table in the far corner and started to make his way over to her. For once, the staff didn’t notice his presence (which felt surprisingly nice, to be honest), and he had to weave around their hectic forms. It was almost like dancing. After a few close calls, almost dropping his flowers, he reached the moth and sat down next to her. 

“What’s happening?” He asked, gesturing to the activity around them. 

Alina chuckled. “They’re getting ready.”

Finn hesitated. “For what…?”

“For the day. You’ve never gotten up early enough to see them preparing?” She leaned one elbow onto the table, supporting her chin with her hand. 

“No... I haven’t,” Finn said, frowning. 

“Well, maybe you should wake up earlier, Wyrmy,” said the princess, smirking. 

Finn gave her a haughty glare. “No.”

“Suit yourself, shorty.” Alina ignored his sputtered exclamation at her newest nickname for him and asked, “hey, what’re the flowers for?”

Finn gently dropped the flowers on the table and crossed his arms. “They’re for the staff.”

The moth looked confused. “Why?”

“Because I appreciate them.”

Alina picked up one of the flowers before Finn could say anything, and inspected it. She then looked up at him with the same scrutinizing gaze. 

“Fine. I brought flowers for my mom once and she denied me the privilege of giving them to her, so I gave them to the staff instead. It’s a tradition now, okay?” Finn huffed. 

Alina was quiet for a second before she spoke. “What do you mean, ‘denied the privilege’?”

“She slapped me and said I needed to grow up,” He shrugged. 

Alina looked upset, though the prince couldn’t fathom why. Maybe the behavior that was considered normal in his kingdom wasn’t normal elsewhere? He supposed so. 

Eager to dispel the uncomfortable feeling in the air, Finn decided to change the topic. “So when are we going to leave?”

The moth tapped her fingers on the table. “After we eat. It’s no good fighting on an empty stomach.”

Finn nodded, and called over a member of the staff. After giving them a flower, he and Alina requested breakfast. 

~•~

Finn and Alina sat next to each other in the tram car, once again. They both gazed out the window in silence, watching the scenery pass by. 

Then the moth asked, “why doesn’t your mother want you to learn to fight?”

Finn didn’t answer. At least, not right away. This wasn’t a subject he liked talking about. Alina waited, however, glancing at him.

He took a deep breath, leaning his head against the glass. “I used to have a sister. Her name was Diana, and-”

He was cut off as the moth went wide-eyed in surprise. “You had a  _ sister _ ? Was she older or younger? Did she look like you? What happened to her?”

The prince sighed. He should’ve expected this barrage of questions. “She was older. She looked like both my father and mother.”

Alina blinked. Finn knew it was an underwhelming response, but he felt a deep sadness crawling up from his stomach again and didn’t want to encourage it. He stared at the pale, clawed hands in his lap. 

“She… she was one of my friends. One of my only friends. We were close, always laughing and…” Finn silenced abruptly. 

He thought for a minute, then said, “you remind me of her.”

Alina had been listening quietly, however when she heard that, she let out a squeak. “Really?”

“Yes. She poked fun at me and criticized me. She called me a coward, but she cared. I never knew why…” He returned his gaze to the window. 

After a minute, the moth put one of her hands over Finn’s. “What happened?” Her voice was surprisingly quiet and gentle.

He let out a breath, and the glass of the window fogged up. He didn’t bother wiping it away. It’d fade soon enough.

“She… well, she saved my life. First and foremost.” He didn’t know why he was telling her this. It just felt like he had to. 

“When I was an egg, I was part of a cluster. There were maybe… twelve of us? I’m unsure of the exact number. I was the smallest. The, uh, runt. Normally, the runt is to be fed to all of the other hatchlings— it’s-it’s just how we do things. But Diana hatched before everyone else. While we were unsupervised, she destroyed all of the eggs but mine. So she saved my life. 

“I was grateful for this, of course. Nobody wants to get eaten. Nobody wants to get murdered either, but… she spared me. I don’t know why. Anyway, I was… during my frequent illness as a grub, she was going to warrior’s training. I heard she was one of the best there, and she enjoyed it. She was fighting my father’s Royal Guard at the age of… I think it was nine? She beat all of them. 

“My parents were extremely proud. It’s clear that she was their favorite and I was just a backup in case she couldn’t do her part in the kingdom. One day, my father had gotten word that one of the kingdom’s allies needed assistance in a territorial war. He agreed to help- because he’s never one to back down from a fight, ever- and brought my sister to help. I… don’t know what happened. But my father came back and he was… alone. Sh-she’d been killed. And… after that, there was a… silence in the palace, almost. Like we were waiting for her to just appear from somewhere and…”

Finn cut himself off. He took a shuddery breath, feeling that  _ emotion _ get stronger. 

Alina was watching him as he spoke— he was aware of this. She stroked the back of his hand with her thumb, saying nothing. 

There was silence between the two that stretched on and on. It was uncomfortable.

Finally, Alina said, “they don’t want you to get killed.”

The prince nodded with a quiet hum. “I know.”

She sighed. “You still need to learn how to defend yourself, though.”

He nodded again, looking back down at their hands, now intertwined. Where did he go from here? He didn’t know what to say next. 

Luckily, he was spared from making a decision as the tram car came to a halt at their destination. He let go of the moth’s hand and stood. 

Managing to push that feeling down, the prince gestured for Alina to follow him as he stepped off of the tram. 

Right in front of them stood the Colosseum. Neither of them had seen it before, so they let their eyes travel upwards, taking in the sights and sounds of the large building. 

It was tall and circular, almost fierce-looking. It was made out of a dark stone, the gray casting a looming shadow over the two. Spears jutted out into the air from the ground around it, and on the outer walls hung different types of weapons, ranging from nails to axes, and even a mace. Loud cheering could be heard from inside, and Finn could tell that the spectators were enjoying the… could it be called a sport? He wasn’t sure. 

Alina grabbed his hand again, and dashed to the entrance. A large booth with a tired-looking bug stood in their way. The prince looked at Alina, confused, but the moth didn’t respond to his glance. He doubted she even saw it. 

“Two tickets, please!” She chirped. 

The bug sighed. “I hope you realize you’ll need to pay.”

The princess blinked, then looked over at Finn. “Do you have any money?”

The prince shook his head. “I didn’t think I needed it.”

Alina sighed, turning back to the bug. “Can the prince of the kingdom get in for free? A… a discount?”

The bug shook his head. “Nope. Sorry. Everyone’s gotta pay, royalty or not.”

Alina frowned. “Sorry Finn, guess our trip is over.” She turned to leave and so did the prince, but as they did, they noticed two figures stepping out of a different tram car than the one they’d arrived in. 

King Rian and Ruler Hendrix. 

Finn grasped onto Alina’s arm tightly, whispering. “What do we do?!” 

Alina was wide-eyed, looking for a way out of the situation. Unfortunately, there was none. 

Until Finn felt something wrap around his ankle and pull him down. He fell through the ground— or rather, through the grate he hadn’t noticed he was standing on. He landed in a heap on the dirt floor of a tunnel below. It was dark, except for the beam of light shining down on them where the grate had caved in.

The light was quickly extinguished, however, as the grate was… replaced? Finn wasn’t sure what had just happened. All he knew was that someone had just pulled him down into a dark hole, and he could now only taste dirt. 

As he spit out the filth on his tongue, he pushed himself up to see in the dim light that Alina was in the exact same predicament as he was. Rising to his feet, the prince saw two glowing eyes staring at him out of the darkness that cloaked the tunnel. He flared his wings out behind him, hoping it was enough for the creature to flee. 

But it came closer and closer. Alina stood up beside him, and being much taller than he was, had more of an imposing aura about her. At the sight of her golden light, the eyes halted, then whatever creature owned them turned and disappeared. 

Finn relaxed after a moment, looking up at the grate above them. After studying it, he came to a conclusion: they hadn’t fallen through the grate at all. It had flipped so it was vertical, leaving enough space for the two to fall through, then went right back into place. It had revolved.

_ Interesting _ , Finn thought. 

Alina had been interested in other things as he’d been thinking. She’d been looking for a way out, by the sound of it. 

She huffed in frustration, then tapped the prince on the shoulder. “The only way out is that way.” She pointed to the tunnel the creature had disappeared into. 

Finn frowned, fiddling with the City Crest hanging around his neck. “I guess that’s the way we need to go, then.” 

He didn’t want to be down in this musty tunnel more than he had to, so he started walking. He spied a rock on the ground and picked it up, in case he needed a weapon or something to throw. 

The moth walked alongside him, having to stoop slightly from the height of the tunnel’s ceiling. Her sharp horns sometimes brushed against the top of the tunnel above them, causing fresh dirt to rain down on them. Every time this happened, Finn turned to Alina and gave her the most annoyed look he could muster. She smirked at him, not minding at all when he shook off the dirt and threw some at her in a very inelegant fashion. 

At one point, he had tripped over  _ something _ , landing face-first on the ground with a yelp. He stood, brushing himself off, to find that what he tripped over was… one of Alina’s feet. With the most dignity he could muster, with as much elegance that was possible in his small body, he kicked her in the shin. 

“You’re just trying to get me dirty, aren’t you?!”

Alina laughed jovially. She didn’t even seem to feel the attack. “Absolutely.”

Eventually, the two found their way at the end of the tunnel. They stood at the entrance to a large room— Alina could now stand fully upright— that looked like an equipment room. Weapons lined the walls, as well as shelves of charms— like the one at the library, but Finn assumed they did completely different things— and there were even papers scattered here and there. There was a bench next to a table, which was pushed against the wall and covered with scattered drawings and blueprints. Light filtered in through a grate in the ceiling, though the prince figured this one didn’t revolve. He wouldn’t want unwanted guests in here either. Finn spied the exit. It was a tunnel on the other side of the room. However, there was a distinct obstacle in their way of getting there. 

A black bug in a long blue cloak was quietly muttering to themself, their back turned to the two. Finn hoped they were reading a scroll and not talking to themself. That would be extremely concerning, seeing as there was no way out of here except on the other side of them. 

The bug turned around to face them, revealing that they were indeed reading a scroll and not mentally unstable. Their face was also visible now. Two smooth antennae reached back from their head. The strangest thing about the bug was their three eyes. Finn realized with a start that the creature he’d seen in the tunnels was indeed this bug, as referenced by the two white eyes. The third eye was black, and in the middle of their forehead, which explained why it wasn’t visible in the tunnel at the time. Finn couldn’t tell what species this bug was, which was strange, to say the least. From his time in the library, he knew almost all of the species. He figured further research was needed. 

When the bug saw the two of them, they  _ froze _ . They stopped speaking and stared at the duo with wide eyes. The scroll dropped from their hands, as well as a quill, which the bug must’ve been writing with. 

Alina was the first to speak, as always. “Who’re you?”

The bug stuttered for a few seconds before falling quiet again. 

The three stood in silence. Finn was extremely uncomfortable with this, but he figured that if the bug was going to talk, they would. 

A shuffling sounded from the tunnel behind the bug, and a voice called out— to the unnamed bug, Finn assumed. 

“Lu, you alright? Why’re you so silent?”

The voice was female and melodious, Finn noticed. And she called the other bug Lu. That must be their name. 

This ‘Lu’ finally found their voice and called back. “You should probably come down here. Now.” Lu was a male, then.

The first speaker— the female— walked into the room. Or… floated. She was a jellyfish. Her body was almost transparent, tinged with a light blue. Two turquoise orbs floated inside of her body: one in her head, behind her four wide eyes, and one in her chest. Her body billowed out like a dress near the bottom, showing four long tentacles of the same color. 

Finn was amazed. He’d never seen a real jellyfish before, only in books. He stared at her, wide-eyed. 

The jellyfish stared back for a second before her eyes crinkled in a smile. “Hello! I’m Monomon! This is Lurien.” She gently nudged the other bug, who was still staring in shock. 

Alina stepped forward, into the room, and Finn followed her. The moth obviously figured they weren’t a threat. 

“I’m Alina,” said the princess, “and this is Finn.”

“Oh, we know who Prince Finnnian is.” Monomon bumped two of her tentacles together in what appeared to be some sort of clap. “It’s an honor having royalty here!”

Finn hesitated, before interjecting. “Just Finn is fine. But why…  _ are _ we here?”

Lurien bent down to pick up his scroll and quill. “We-well… you looked like-like you were panicking? O-or in trouble? So… I pulled you down.”

Alina nodded. “We were. Thanks. So do you just spy on people as they walk by?”

Lurien hesitated. “I… guess so.”

Monomon chuckled. “He likes to call himself Lurien the Watcher.”

Lurien made an embarrassed squeak of protest before quickly retorting, “at least I don’t cl-claim to be a teacher when I don’t have any pupils!”

Monomon rolled her eyes. All four of them. It was quite dizzying to look at, Finn thought. “Fair enough. But still,  _ Watcher.  _ Don’t spy on people.”

Lurien huffed quietly, placing his objects on the nearby desk. 

“Do you live down here?” Asked Finn, slightly tilting his head. 

Monomon shook her head. “We live in our own homes. This is just our ‘secret hideout,’ if you will.”

Alina blinked. “You’re not together?”

Lurien immediately flushed, shaking his head wildly. 

Monomon just laughed. “Goodness, no! We’ve been companions for years and don’t want to ruin our friendship with that nonsense.”

Finn tapped his fingers together. “Wise choice. That would complicate things.”

It went quiet for a minute before Alina spoke up again. “Finn and I came here to teach him how to fight. Do you-”

Monomon cut her off quickly. “Fight? Oh, Lu and I love to spar! We could teach you!”

Finn blinked. “Really?”

“S-sure. It… it’s fun, if you know h-how to do it right. So nobody gets hurt.” Lurien said. 

“But isn’t the point of fighting so that you can defend yourself?” Finn asked, raising one eyebrow. 

“I guess, but we fight for fun. And we fight safely. There’s just some adjustments you can make to turn it into more lethal combat. But not here.” Monomon said, waving a tentacle in front of her. 

Alina sat down on one of the benches. “I can’t wait to see you get you beaten up, shorty,” she snorted. 

Finn narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m not going to get beaten up.”

The prince absolutely knew he was going to get beaten up. 

~•~

Finn had received a nail from Monomon that felt too heavy in his hands. He could lift it fine, but it was unbalanced and hard to swing. The worst part was that Monomon had said that was the lightest nail they had. 

Alina had snickered at that and commented on his lack of arm strength. He told her to be quiet, to which she refused, and so he retorted that he’d kick her in the shin again. She’d laughed loudly at this, making Finn scowl and slap her with one of his wings. 

He watched as Lurien and Monomon had taken up their respective weapons— for Lurien, a bow and arrows, and for Monomon, four nails to hold in her tentacles. They had shown him a few moves already, and he was trying, and failing, to copy them. 

The highlight of the practice was when he tripped over Alina’s foot,  _ again _ , and landed on his face,  _ again _ . The sword had flown out of his hand and landed in the ground right next to his head. When Finn stood up, the taste of earth in his mouth, Alina pointed out that he had chipped his horn, although Finn couldn’t tell if that had been from falling or the nail. 

After a while, the jellyfish had noticed Finn was getting tired, and so they put down their nails— and bow, in Lurien’s case— to take a rest. It was only when Alina noticed the colosseum had gone quiet that the prince realized it must be late, and that he had to get back to the palace, lest he get a stern lecture from his parents. 

Lurien offered to lead them home after explaining that their hideout was connected to several tunnels below the surface of the kingdom. Alina hadn’t been that happy with this idea, considering she was a flying creature, but Finn was, as he was a burrowing creature. He also reasoned that it was easier to get back to the palace undetected, and they wouldn’t have to interact with people. 

After some persuading, Alina reluctantly agreed, and they followed Lurien through the dark tunnels. They took so many twists and turns that it was impossible to remember the route without a map, so they were lucky Lurien had one in his hand that he’d consult every few minutes. 

After half an hour of walking— definitely an improvement over the forty-five minutes of sitting in the tramcar— Lurien stopped and pointed towards a tunnel to their right that light was filtering into. 

“Th-that’s your way out,” he said. Then he pulled another map out of his cloak and offered it to Finn. “In case you w-want to visit us again, follow the blue line.” 

There was indeed a blue line on the map that led back to the colosseum. Finn hid the map away in his robes and nodded. “Thank you, Lurien.”

The black bug nodded, his antennae quivering, then hurried back the way they came. 

Finn stared after Lurien until he felt a nudge. 

“He’s cute, huh?” Alina was grinning widely. 

“What?”

“He’s  _ cute _ . Is he your type?”

Finn squinted at her. “Are you trying to get me a  _ boyfriend _ ?”

“Maybe.” 

“Thanks, but I’m interested in someone else.”

“Right, the tree girl,” Alina hummed. 

Finn went beet-red. “It’s obvious?!”

She nodded, then walked over to the tunnel Lurien had pointed them to, and jumped out. Finn followed, his blush calming. 

When he climbed out of the tunnel, he realized they were just outside the palace. “Huh. This is convenient, don’t you think?”

Alina smirked. “Guess your  _ friend _ didn’t lead us on the wrong path, huh?”

“Be quiet, Alina.”

The prince and the moth travelled towards the doors of the palace, brushing themselves free of dirt as best they could to not arouse suspicion. Finn nodded to the guards as they opened the doors, and walked inside with Alina in tow. 

He froze as he saw both of his parents in the entrance hall, and desperately hoped they didn’t see the chip in his horn. 

“What happened to your head?” Of course, his mother had noticed. 

“I, uh… tripped and fell in the library?” Finn murmured a quick response. 

_ Yep, not suspicious at all. Way to go, Finn _ , he thought to himself. 

Queen Juno sighed. He couldn’t tell if it was a moderately annoyed sigh or a furious sigh. She fixed him with that gaze he hated— the gaze full of disappointment. King Rian gave him the same look, although more stern. 

“Prince Finnian,” he started, clasping his hands behind his back, “the queen and I have decided that it is time for you to leave the nest.”

Finn froze. His pulse sped up. Did they know about his little trip? He glanced over at Alina, who didn’t seem worried. She gave him a shrug as he whipped his gaze back to his parents. 

They had to know. He’d messed up. Oh stars, he’d messed up. They were banishing him. Getting rid of him. 

Then his father looked over at his mother. “We want you to build your own kingdom as we have built ours.”

Finn paused. They didn’t know. He exhaled quietly in relief and let the tension go from his body. His wings, which were creeping up to flare out (Finn had learned this was a defensive measure used by Wyrms to make themselves look bigger) were forced back down. 

“We will send some of the staff with you. You may pick whomever else you wish to travel this journey with,” said his mother. 

Finn was silent, processing this information. Was he actually ready for this? He couldn’t defend himself and he had no experience outside of the old kingdom. Perhaps he could have more time?

No. 

No, this was what he was trained for. All of those years learning and studying… it was for this. Starting his own kingdom. He wouldn’t fail. He refused to fail. 

A sudden wave of determination swept over the young prince, and he bowed to the king and queen. 

“I won’t let you down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, this chapter is l o n g. I didn’t expect it to get this long, but my brain really said I had to write, huh? :3
> 
> The designs for Lurien and Monomon are inspired by the lovely @gattasmagicalartblog on Tumblr! Totally check them out, they’re an amazing artist!


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